A PENRITH man has pleaded guilty to “spitting” in the face of his partner while they were outside a pub in the town.

But a bail condition preventing 42-year-old Anthony Miller from contacting the victim was dropped after the court heard that she had written to the court making it clear she  was not supporting the prosecution.

At Carlisle’s Rickergate Magistrates’ Court, Miller, of Greystoke Park Road, Penrith, admitted an assault by beating.

Prosecutor Malcolm Isherwood said that there was CCTV footage of the assault, committed on January 14. The lawyer said: “It’s a direct spit to the face by this defendant to this young woman.”

But there was no application for a restraining order, he said.

District Judge John Temperley said the assault was a serious matter, whatever the background to the offence and no matter what the argument between the people involved had been.

The offence was classified as domestic in its nature, he said.

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Kate Hunter, defending, said the defendant worked as a lorry driver and therefore it would not be appropriate to impose a tagged curfew of any kind; and, as the defendant worked 70 hours per week and had to adhere to strict rest periods, unpaid work in the community would also not be appropriate.

The court heard that the victim – who moved out of the property she shared with the defendant because of his non-contact bail conditions – wished to resume her relationship with him.

The district judge ordered a background report on Miller and said that in view of the support he was being offered by the victim he would remove the non-contact bail condition that had stopped him from seeing her.

The judge said he had no doubt that the defendant and the woman would immediately resume your relationship after the hearing. He granted Miller bail and set the sentencing date as April 25.

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